Gus VanDyke: City’s actions don’t say it’s open for business

Columns from Homer City Council Candidates

My name is Gus VanDyke. I am a 21-year Alaskan, the last 17 years in Homer. I was born and raised in Northwest Oregon. My wife and I vacationed in Alaska in April of 1992. We were so impressed by Alaska and its people when our all to short time in the state came to an end, we returned home and quit our jobs, packed our house in a Sealand container, flew to Anchorage and had jobs and a place to stay before our belongings arrived. We have never regretted the move.

As many who are new to Alaska, we settled in Anchorage because that’s where the jobs were. Exploration of the state brought us to the Kenai Peninsula. When we crested the top of the hill and took our first look at beautiful Kachemak Bay, we knew where we were going to live.

I went to work managing Scruggs Automotive and Tire in 1996 and continued in that capacity until June of 2006 when I purchased the company from Mike Scruggs. We are here for the long term and loving it.

I have never run for public office. I am not a politician nor a public speaker, nor do I want to be either. I will promise to listen to and take into consideration, any and all concerns brought before me by those I would represent.

Our current city council and city administration is on a course to substantially weaken our economy, or further weaken it. All I hear is “We are OPEN for business,” all I see is a combination of actions just the opposite. For example:

Action No. 1: The city seems to have an appetite to spend our money on state of the art assets that are unnecessary at this time and then must “find” the money to maintain these assets.

Action No. 2: The city seems to have a consistent history of increasing our costs through fees and taxes without regard to their impact.

Action No. 3: The city has an unwillingness to create a commission that would provide transparency and accountability to our residents — what are they afraid of?

Action No. 4: The city is limiting the ability for business to recover from the additional burdens of its taxation and rate increases and to compete with the businesses up the road.

I will need your help, with your votes and your time to get involved making your opinions known at the city council and commission levels, if we are to succeed in correcting the course of our current government, which does provide a crucial role in our community.